Veteran voice actor, director and producer Mike McFarland, whose work included some of the biggest anime franchises of the past three decades, has died. He was 56.

McFarland died Wednesday, September 9, at a care facility in Dallas following a battle with brain cancer. He was surrounded by friends and family at the time of his death.

For generations of anime fans, McFarland was perhaps best known as the English voice of Master Roshi and Yajirobe in the Dragon Ball franchise. He also voiced Buggy the Clown in One Piece, Jean Kirstein in Attack on Titan, Jean Havocin Fullmetal Alchemist, Mashirao Ojiro in My Hero Academia and Koutarou Amon in Tokyo Ghoul.

His impact on anime extended well beyond his performances. McFarland worked extensively as an ADR director, scriptwriter and producer, helping bring numerous Japanese productions to English-speaking audiences throughout his career.

Master Roshi

McFarland’s health struggles became public in January 2025 after he underwent emergency surgery to remove a brain tumor. The tumor was later identified as glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Friends and fans rallied around McFarland during his treatment, with a GoFundMe campaign raising more than $300,000 to help with his care.

Following news of his death, Crunchyroll paid tribute to McFarland and his impact on the anime community.

“Mike brought so much to all of us who knew him, and to all of the anime fans that knew his work. He was an incredible talent, a good friend to so many of us, and will be sorely, sorely missed.”

McFarland leaves behind an enormous body of work spanning television, movies and video games, with his performances becoming an enduring part of some of anime’s most recognizable franchises.

Marvel Studios has added another mutant to its upcoming X-Men reboot.

Gen V and Scream 7 star Asa Germann has reportedly been cast as Warren Worthington III, better known as Angel, in Marvel Studios’ upcoming X-Men film.

Germann joins an already stacked new generation of mutants that includes Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue and Maya Boyd as Storm. Adam Driver is also set to portray Mister Sinister. The core cast was unveiled by Marvel Studios at D23 in August.

Interestingly, Germann had reportedly auditioned for Cyclops during the casting process before Connor ultimately landed the role. He’ll instead take on one of the X-Men’s original members.

X-Men Angel

Angel, whose real name is Warren Worthington III, debuted alongside the original X-Men team in 1963. Born into a wealthy family, Warren develops enormous feathered wings that give him the ability to fly.

The character has previously appeared twice in live-action X-Men films. Ben Foster portrayed Warren in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, while Ben Hardy played a younger version in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse.

Thunderbolts* filmmaker Jake Schreier is directing Marvel’s new take on the mutant franchise.

Marvel Studios’ X-Men is scheduled to hit theaters on May 5, 2028.

Apparently recreating Chun-Li’s iconic physique for the upcoming live-action Street Fighter movie created an unusual problem for the stunt team.

During a recent Street Fighter press event, director Kitao Sakurai and Chun-Li actress Callina Liang shared a story about Liang’s stunt double needing additional padding to more closely match the actress’ physique while performing as the legendary fighter.

Liang underwent significant physical training for the role, with previous reporting detailing an intensive regimen designed to build the lower-body strength associated with Chun-Li. She has spoken about training in multiple martial arts disciplines and substantially increasing the size of her legs while preparing for the film.

The physical transformation is part of Liang’s effort to bring one of gaming’s most recognizable fighters to live action. Chun-Li has been known for her powerful legs and kicking attacks since becoming the franchise’s first playable female fighter in Street Fighter II.

Liang stars alongside Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken and Jason Momoa as Blanka in the new adaptation.

Street Fighter is scheduled to hit theaters on October 16, 2026.